


Looking After Your Boyfriend

by NamelesslyNightlock, Rabentochter, STARSdidathing



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Affection, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dating, Dragon Tony Stark, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, Ice Cream, Inspired by Art, Loki is a good boyfriend, M/M, Magical Accidents, Protective Loki (Marvel), Romantic Fluff, Secret Relationship, Telepathy, Tony Stark Gets a Hug, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-21
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2020-05-15 21:21:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19304068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NamelesslyNightlock/pseuds/NamelesslyNightlock, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rabentochter/pseuds/Rabentochter, https://archiveofourown.org/users/STARSdidathing/pseuds/STARSdidathing
Summary: Tony has a bad day, and Loki makes it better.





	Looking After Your Boyfriend

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jaxonkreide](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaxonkreide/gifts).



> Some absolutely amazing art by **Jaxonkreide** inspired us to create this jigsaw of a fic.  
>   
> Who wrote what is indicated at the start of each section, and there are links to the art that inspired this both in the prose and in the end note.

**by NamelesslyNightlock**

Watching the Avengers run in circles trying to defeat the newest monster of the week was always entertaining. Loki absolutely loved it, sitting out of the way, shrouded in a spell of invisibility and cackling through the inevitable few minutes of them being swiped into the ground before they worked out the best way to defeat whatever it was.

This time, it wasn’t even Loki’s doing– so there was absolutely no work involved. He could just sit back and enjoy.

And, even better– the problem they were trying to deal with was a _dragon._

It _was_ lucky, actually, that the dragon was so interesting, because Loki’s favourite Avenger had yet to show up– and without Anthony’s banter keeping the team on their toes and the sight of that beautiful red and gold suit flashing through the air, Loki normally would have long since grown bored with the Avengers’ floundering.

But as it stood, the dragon was worth the watching– because it truly was rather magnificent, with brilliant crimson scales that glittered gold whenever they caught the sunlight. He wasn’t the largest dragon Loki had ever seen, and he thought it likely that the creature was young– he moved on his four legs as if he weren’t used to them yet, and his wings flailed madly as he spun around in the middle of the ring the Avengers had managed to form around him. Strangely though, despite owning a rather impressive pair of scarlet horns and a set of deadly sharp claws, the dragon appeared disinclined to use them.

If anything, it just seemed… scared.

Loki frowned.

He knew that many on Midgard would judge him cold and cruel, but he would never leave such a creature in distress when it had done nothing wrong. The Avengers looked like they were unlikely to offer the dragon any help. Thor had a good heart, but he often got lost in the thrill of battle, and even from his perch upon a fire-escape above the fight Loki could hear his excited bellows– which only appeared to be scaring the poor dragon all the more. The only other one of the Avengers who would have ever seen a real dragon before and might have been able to recognise the creature’s distress would be Anthony, but he had not shown up for this fight.

That in itself was a little odd, but Loki tried not to let it worry him. There was, of course, the chance that Anthony was busy. Loki knew that he always had about forty things on his plate, whether that be work for SI, tasks for the Avengers, or his own projects. No doubt Anthony was either down in his workshop, or attending a meeting for Ms Potts, or passed out on his bed.

The thought made Loki smile, and he briefly considered going to check. There was very little in the world that made Loki feel as calm and safe as when he was curled beside Anthony, the feel of his lover’s warm body against his own soothing his mind and slowing his heart. It was a pretty thought, but—

A cry from the dragon below caught his attention, and Loki knew that he couldn’t leave.

The poor thing was backed up against the building directly below Loki, whines tearing from its snout as it pressed against the wall. Still, he was doing nothing to defend himself, his spine arched in fear and his wings awkwardly folded– not even trying to fly away. It tugged at Loki’s heart, and he could no longer remain idle.

He knew that it was risky– he didn’t want to startle the dragon any further than he already was. But he was running out of time, and he needed to do _something_. So he replaced his spell of invisibility with a layer of protective seiðr should the dragon make a swipe at _him,_ and then he jumped straight from the fire-escape to land directly between the dragon and his aggressors.

 _“Stop,”_ he snarled, raising his bare hands toward the Avengers in a manner that was threatening despite his lack of weapons. “You will not harm him.”

“Loki,” Rogers said, hefting his shield, his brows furrowing below his cowl. “We should have known you had something to do with this—”

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous,” Loki snapped. “Why are you terrorising this poor creature?”

“Terrorising?” Thor stepped forward, Mjölnir lowering slightly as his brow creased in a frown. “Loki, what are you—”

“He’s terrified, can’t you see that?” Loki asked. “Thor, look at him. Does this seem like a hostile dragon to you?”

Thor didn’t respond, but he did look appropriately cowed. The rest of the group, however, remained unconvinced.

“Yeah, well.” Barton raised his bow, his arrow trained on Loki now rather than the dragon. _Good_. “Maybe if you hadn’t sent him here, then we wouldn’t have had to try and capture it—”

“I did not send him here,” Loki snapped. “You are not listening—”

“Then how did it get here?” Romanoff asked. “If you didn’t throw it into the city—”

“I do not know, but there is no need to use the creature’s misfortune as a reason to _attack_ him. Dragons are intelligent beings, perhaps if you tried talking to it—”

“Talking to it?” Barton scoffed. “Seriously?”

Loki couldn’t help it. He snapped out with a jerk of his wrist and sent a small blast of seiðr flying through the air. It wasn’t enough to injure, but it was enough to knock Barton off his feet. Barton hit the ground with a yell as Hulk _roared_ , and Loki felt movement behind him in response– the dragon, no doubt now even more afraid than before. Loki braced himself, preparing for a fight, because if the dragon was too afraid to defend himself, then Loki was just going to have to do it for him.

But then he felt something nudge at his shoulder, and he turned his head to find the dragon staring at him with large, scared eyes, his pupils blown wide with terror. And the dragon’s eyes were as exquisite as the rest of him– a honeyed golden brown, shining with intelligence and…

Loki’s lips parted in shock.

He _knew_ those eyes.

“Anthony?” he gasped.

The dragon whined, and nudged him again—

Loki threw out a shield made of his green seiðr, the magic exploding out across the street. It pushed the Avengers away without doing any true harm, and gave Loki the precious time he needed to focus on the dragon– on his _lover_.

Hesitantly, Loki reached up with one hand– and then Anthony nudged it with his snout, pressing warm scales against Loki’s skin.

“Oh, Anthony,” Loki whispered. “I’m so sorry I didn’t realise it sooner.”

Anthony whimpered, and pressed his snout harder against Loki’s hand, his four feet skittering against the ground as if he were having difficulty keeping him still. Loki realised his own earlier error, then, recognising that during the fight, Anthony hadn’t been ungainly because he was a young dragon– it was because he had suddenly been gifted with more limbs than he was used to, a body that was _wrong_. And then, no doubt almost immediately after, Anthony had been attacked by his own friends who had not even paused to recognise that Anthony was not trying to fight back.

And while Anthony had been terrified of what was happening to him, Loki had just sat back and _watched_.

Feeling a little ill, Loki slid his hand along the side of Anthony’s jaw and leaned forward to press his forehead to those bright red scales. They felt both rough and smooth against his skin, and so very warm, as if Anthony’s inner fire was burning up to the surface.

Loki was hesitant–

In this form, Anthony could not speak, but Loki knew a way around that. But he knew that Anthony did not like mind magic due to things that had happened in the past, and he waited as he made that initial, tentative connection– preparing to pull away the very moment he sensed any discomfort.

But rather than distress, all Loki felt in response was _relief_.

 _‘Loki_. _’_

Loki let out a shuddering breath.

 _‘What happened?’_ he asked. _‘Who did this?’_

 _‘I don’t know, I– I was just flying over the city and something hit me, must have been magic– and then I was like_ this _, and then the Avengers—’_

“Shhh,” Loki soothed, stroking the scales he could reach with a slow, tender rhythm. _‘It’s okay. I’m here.’_

 _‘I know.’_ Anthony shuddered, his entire, large body seeming to curl in on itself even as he began to relax. The trust Anthony had in him was enough to steal Loki’s breath, but he knew that he couldn’t take the time to simply bask in it.

He could hear the Avengers moving again, could feel them trying to get through the shield. They wouldn’t be able to, but the reminder was enough to make Loki no longer wish to stay.

 _‘Anthony,’_ he said, his voice gentle. _‘We should get somewhere safe. Will you come with me?’_

_‘Always.’_

Loki ran his hand along Anthony’s snout one more time before he wrapped them both in his seiðr, and then he pulled them away from sound of the Avengers still clamouring for Loki’s head.

—~—

Travelling with Anthony in this form was difficult, but not impossible. He was large and ungainly, but he tried his best not to get in the way, and Loki was able to guide them both through Yggdrasil’s web. He brought them to Anthony’s home in Malibu, knowing that it would be where they would have the most privacy.

When they landed in the bedroom, Loki asked Anthony to remain still while he used his seiðr to make the room and everything in it a little larger, so that there was no need for Anthony to worry about breaking anything. Then they both moved toward the enlarged bed without needing to discuss it.

Anthony wrapped around Loki’s body, curling around him in a manner which felt both protective and as if Anthony were trying to calm himself. Loki didn’t complain in the slightest– he knew that Anthony had been through a lot, and he was more than willing to offer whatever comfort he could.

Anthony’s eyes fell closed as Loki ran his seiðr over those red scales, frowning as he searching through that unfamiliar magic that had transformed his lover into a reptile. He didn’t recognise the caster, but he could tell that they were far less skilled than he. When he found them, it would not be difficult to make them understand what a grievous mistake they had made in attacking Tony Stark– but that could wait. Helping Anthony now was more important.

“What was done to you is not a difficult spell,” Loki said almost absentmindedly as he pulled back his seiðr, though his hands did not stop their movements.

Anthony opened his eyes again at that, and even in dragon form, Loki could recognise his incredulous stare all too well.

“Transformations _are_ tricky, but the most difficult part of such a spell is making it stick,” Loki explained. “A body always wants to be _itself,_ you see. It’s why you look as you do, and why, if the exact same spell were performed on me, I would likely look entirely different.”

Loki was about to continue with his explanation, but paused when Anthony nudged at him. What he wanted was obvious, even though it didn’t make a lot of sense, given how much Loki knew Anthony disliked having someone in his mind– but he made the connection nonetheless.

What he heard, though, was _not_ what he had been expecting.  

_‘You’d be green.’_

Anthony looked _smug_ , and Loki rolled his eyes over the fact that Anthony had asked he forge a mental connection just for that.

“Most likely,” Loki replied– and he was about to pull away when he felt Anthony nudge him again. “Yes?”

_‘Can you undo it?’_

“I could, but there is little point. Your body is already pushing against the spell, and you will return to normal soon enough. We will just have to wait for it to pass.”

Anthony huffed at that, warm air ruffling through Loki’s hair. He seemed disappointed.

“Oh, come now. You _are_ a dragon,” Loki said. “It’s not often one gets a chance to experience such a thing. Don’t you want to feel everything a dragon can do, have a go at flying with only your wings holding you aloft, or breathe fire, perhaps?”

Anthony seemed to consider it for a moment, just as Loki knew he would– after all, he had always been curious above all else. But then, the idea was clearly dismissed as he relaxed further into the mattress, uncurling from Loki in favour of snuggling down against the bedding. Then he nudged his tail at Loki’s thigh, asking for that connection again.

 _‘Maybe you can turn us into dragons another day, Lokes, and then you can teach me how to fly.’_ Anthony let out a happy sigh. _‘Maybe on that planet we visited last month. But right now, I’m just tired. Will you stay here with me?’_

Loki smiled at that, knowing his answer without needing to think on it. He felt rather tired as well, despite not having gone through almost as much stress as Anthony had, and he was more than happy to rest at Anthony’s side. He transformed his leather armour into a soft shirt and shorts – both green of course, if only so he could see the amusement in Anthony’s gaze, just the same as always despite the different body – and then he lay down on the mattress beside his lover.

Anthony shifted a little, and Loki’s smile deepened as he felt that tail nudge him again– it really seemed that Anthony was getting the hang of using his new limbs. [Loki stroked his hand over the scales before wrapping an arm around the tail, holding it close to his chest and running his fingers over Anthony’s splendid scales once more.](https://jaxonkreide.tumblr.com/post/184747207004/local-small-mage-found-cuddling-with-his-huge) He truly was gorgeous like this, but… he would prefer to hold his brilliant lover in his arms _properly_ , to share soft kisses and to hear Anthony’s voice whispering his name.

But he knew he was right about the spell, and that in only a few short hours he would have all of those things. When Loki woke it would be to find Anthony back to normal, and they would curl together just like Loki always loved.

But, for now, Loki was content to run his fingers over Anthony’s scales, soothing them both to a restful sleep.

* * *

**by STARSdidathing**

Loki woke to warm arms around his waist and the familiar feeling of his lover nuzzling his neck and kissing his jaw. Loki smiled instantly. “Anthony.”

He opened his eyes and looked down at the man who was curled around him.

“The one and only,” Anthony said with a grin. “Spell’s broken.”

“So I can see,” Loki drawled.

Anthony rolled his eyes, but instead of shifting away and turning his attention to the many things he _could_ be doing, Anthony only cuddled Loki further. Loki was delighted. Holding Anthony was one of his greatest pleasures, but Anthony was normally in constant motion with people and projects drawing him away. It was rare that Anthony simply rested.

Sliding his hand up Anthony’s back, he ran his fingers through his lover’s hair. He used a hint of seidr to confirm there were no ill-effects from the spell, but thankfully, Anthony was unharmed and free from any magical influence. 

The bed was still enlarged from Anthony’s time as a dragon but Loki didn’t see a reason to fix it yet. He was too comfortable to move. He wanted to enjoy a few minutes of quiet and comfort with Anthony warm, relaxed and _himself_.

They remained silent for a time and Loki could have seen it last for hours, but Anthony broke it.

“Thank you,” he said.

“The spell unravelled itself,” Loki explained. “I did not-”

“No.” Anthony shook his head. “For helping me, for _recognising_ me.” He cupped Loki’s cheek and stroked it with his thumb. Anthony’s eyes were warm and loving. “For talking to me.”

Loki swallowed, the same nausea from before resurfacing. “I should be apologising.”

Anthony frowned. “Why?”

“I was watching for some time,” Loki’s eyes fell from Anthony’s to stare at his chest. “The Avengers are entertaining in their inadequacy. I realised too late that you were in distress.” He raised his eyes again, holding his lover’s gaze with pain. “I realised too late that it was _you_.”

Anthony stroked his cheek, his eyes soft and free from any anger. “You didn’t know any different, Loki—and when you did, you protected me. You don’t need to apologise.”

“I should have known _immediately-_ ”

“Bullshit,” Anthony interrupted, but his tone was fond. “You didn’t know. Stop blaming yourself. I don’t.”

Loki scowled. He didn’t agree with his lover, but he knew Anthony would stubbornly insist until he was blue in the face. He _should_ have known, and it was because of him that Anthony had suffered unduly.

Loki would make it up to him, and he knew exactly how to do it. Where Loki preferred to lie in bed wrapped around his lover and safe beneath his wards and Anthony’s creations, Anthony preferred something else.

“Would you like to go for an outing?” Loki fingers moved from Anthony’s hair to cup his cheek. “I will hide us with magic and we may go anywhere you choose.”

It was one of Anthony’s favourite things to do. He loved taking Loki to places on Midgard while hidden by seidr. He liked to spend time just the two of them as he introduced Loki to Midgardian ‘dates’. He would take his lover out for the day and when he rested tonight, Loki would seek out the one who had harmed Anthony.

“You don’t have to do that, Lokes.” Anthony said, dragging Loki from thoughts of vengeance.

Anthony was smiling, yet Loki could see the exasperated fondness in his gaze. It only made him want to kiss his lover.

“I know,” Loki admitted. “But, I want to.”

Anthony shook his head gently, but agreed, “Okay, then we'll go out - but, not yet.” Anthony curled closer. “I want to stay here for a while.”

It was Loki’s turn to shake his head. “You don’t have to do that.”

“But, I want to,” Anthony parroted, mischief in his voice.

Loki chuckled, but saw no reason to disagree, instead, he let magic transform the room back to its original dimensions. [He then moved the pillows to rest under their heads for greater comfort and removed his shirt so he wouldn't overheat.](https://jaxonkreide.tumblr.com/post/184403396254/so-i-just-saw-this-movie-and-am-exhausted-and)

Closing his eyes, Loki relaxed fully against his lover, knowing there was no time constraint or person from Anthony's life to pull them apart.

Everything felt perfect.

 

* * *

**by Rabentochter**

“New Orleans.”

Loki turned his head to Anthony, who grinned at him.

“You said I could choose. And I haven’t been to New Orleans in a while.”

“I wonder more where the idea comes from than about the location itself.” Loki shook his head with a smile but started to untangle his limbs from Anthony to get up.

“I thought about Jazz music,” Anthony told him with a wink in the eyes. “And then New Orleans popped up in my head.”

“But how did you even think about Jazz music in the first place?” Sometimes Anthony’s mind was a curious place and Loki was more than interested in learning how New Orleans had come about.

“It’s because we were cuddling,” Anthony told him softly. “And it was so relaxed, I started to long for Jazz to play in the background. Then, New Orleans popped up in my head. The rest is history.”

Something warm uncoiled in Loki’s chest, hearing that Anthony had been _relaxed_ in his company. Occasionally he couldn’t believe his luck that Anthony was his, and that this wasn’t just another dream of Loki.

He offered Anthony his hand, then they were gone a whirl of green magic, appearing in New Orleans mere moments later.

The city smelled of music and spilled liquor, making Loki’s nose twitch in disgust. Anthony’s penthouse smelled better than this but he would refrain from complaining on their day out.

Anthony chuckled. “I forgot how bad this city smells. Faded from memory.”

“If you allow me-?” Loki raised a hand, and at Anthony’s nod, a small, green tendril flew from his fingers. It was a simple spell that would clean the air around them from the disgusting smell. Loki would not have a simple scent destroying or tarnishing tonight. Especially not after the commotion they already had today.

His lover breathed in deeply the fresh air, a smile dancing on his lips. “Thank you, Lokes,” he said sincerely, got on his toes and pressed his lips to Loki’s. There was a small tinge of fire on his lips, a leftover from Anthony’s time as a dragon. Loki smiled, enjoying the kiss and its special taste.

But before long they separated, a small blush spreading on their faces and they started to walk down the street. Loki was more than delighted that it was already late. Someone played a jazz tune on their saxophone. After a few more beats, Anthony started to hum to it. They walked on, a new swing in Anthony’s step that made Loki smile at his lover tenderly.

There wasn’t much they talked about, it was more than enough to be together in their silence with music playing in the background.

It was pure coincidence that Loki noticed a shop that offered ice-cream at this late hour and his stomach grumbled in excitement. He had a weak spot for this Midgardian dessert.

“Do you want ice-cream?” Anthony asked him.

“No, no, I’m fine.” He smiled at him. “After all, this is meant to be your outing.”

Anthony snorted. “That doesn’t mean it isn’t yours too.” His tone softened and he squeezed Loki’s hand. “And I like seeing you happy. That makes _me_ happy. So, ice-cream?”

Loki nodded, then got _pulled_  by Anthony towards the shop, his lover already talking about this favourite kind and the bright green ice-cream he could spot.

They both decided for three different scoops – apparently, three was a lucky number.

Loki thanked Anthony with an icy kiss, then they continued their way walking through New Orleans. This time their silence was accompanied by the appreciative sounds Anthony made while eating his ice-cream.

“I _hate_ to be that person, but –“

[Loki chuckled and offered his dessert to Anthony. In return, he got offered Anthony’s and he tried it gladly.](https://jaxonkreide.tumblr.com/post/184409278149/tony-is-gonna-eat-a-big-chunk-out-of-lokis-ice)

After a while when they were done with their ice-cream, Anthony interrupted their walk, making them stand. “You know,” Anthony said casually, a glint in his eyes Loki recognised. “what tastes even better than ice-cream?”

“No?” he asked, interested to see where this would go, although he had an inkling.

“You.” Anthony winked at him and Loki raised an eyebrow, amusedly. “Preferably in my bed, without clothes.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I think the shirt suits you lovely.” Loki pointed at Anthony’s shirt with Loki’s helmet on it and above it, a simple “ _LOKI’D_ ”.

Anthony smirked. “Very true.” He held out his hand to Loki. “Let’s go home and end this date _properly_?”

Loki took his hand, grinning and whisked them away. Maybe he should offer to conjure up ice-cream for Anthony under the disguise of combining his two favourite tastes. Of course, no ulterior motive here, this was solely for Anthony’s benefit.

But, if Loki got some more kisses, ice-cream and cuddles out of it, Loki would consider it a day well spent, despite its draconian beginnings.

 

**Author's Note:**

> In case you missed it in the fic, the art of Dragon Tony is [here](https://jaxonkreide.tumblr.com/post/184747207004/local-small-mage-found-cuddling-with-his-huge), the cuddles art is [here](https://jaxonkreide.tumblr.com/post/184403396254/so-i-just-saw-this-movie-and-am-exhausted-and), and the art of the ice-cream date is [here](https://jaxonkreide.tumblr.com/post/184409278149/tony-is-gonna-eat-a-big-chunk-out-of-lokis-ice).
> 
> (Jax, you had better believe us about your awesomeness now.)


End file.
